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QE II

An amusing occurrence on the bus this morning that I thought I'd share. The driver had stopped to let some people on, and called out to the passengers "If you look down the river, there is a lovely view of the QE II under the bridge".

Now, she was correct, there was a lovely view of the familiar (and still striking) QE II framed elegantly between the pylons of the Tasman Bridge on a slightly gloomy Wednesday morning. It was well worth the observation and I'm glad that she pointed it out.

However, the entertaining part was the absolute lack of recognition among the school kids that dominate the trip. The driver's remark sparked a frenzied debate about what exactly it was she was talking about. One guy (maybe thirteen) reckoned that it was "something foreign" (perhaps hearing 'keweetoo' and mistaking it for a Finnish football team). Another girl thought that it might be an expensive Italian car. It interests me that they didn't seem to be aware of the meaning of 'QE II', to the point that they eventually concluded that she "must be talking about that little ship over there". I'd wager that most wouldn't know who QE II is, let alone what QE II is. It just didn't seem to mean anything to them at all.

Not that I can blame them I guess, it is a hell of a lot smaller vessel than something like the Sapphire Princess and its ilk who've visited Hobart over the past Summer.

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